Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

It’s not even December yet and I’m on the verge of being overwhelmed. That’s not fair, is it? Between working from home, taking care of the house, praying for my husband like crazy, planning December activities for the youth group and practicing Christmas hymns, I’m pretty scared to even make a list of everything I’d like to get done.  Honestly, I just want to bake cookies, drink cappuccino and read books. Period. Call me when it’s all over. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 More than 500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Isaiah knew what was important. He spoke of the birth of the Messianic King as certainly as if it had already happened. The Child was already born, the Son already given and the Prince of Peace already here. That name which is above all names is His character, His Spirit. Jes

Oh my goodness. The day after tomorrow is the first day of December. Despite all the craziness of the year, it has absolutely flown by. It’s hard to believe that I’m doing Christmas decorating this weekend and getting a month of Sunday school and youth group lessons done for our teens. This full-month spread is where I plan out my blog posts, so it will be filled up very, very quickly. There’s much to do and just enough time to do it in. Now we’re at the beginning of Advent, preparing our hearts for the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. For this week’s layout, I couldn’t choose between these two phrases: All is calm and bright, and Wise men still seek him. So I used both! The long banner sticker is cut into four pieces and used to divide up the journal blocks. The plaid is absolutely adorable, so I used coordinating bits and pieces in those same colors. This will be another week of working from home, which means I have to be even more scheduled and well-planned out than norma

Advent begins tomorrow, a sign we are starting the most wonderful time of the year! We need so much Christmas this year, and now is the perfect time to focus on celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. When Jesus Christ is at the center of our holiday season, everything else fades away. Traditionally, Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas. The Advent wreath has four candles: hope, peace, joy and love. One is lit each week, accompanied by Scriptures and hymns on that candle’s theme. You can also make or buy your own Advent calendar. Instead of four Sundays, the calendar usually has 25 openings to begin on December 1. The anticipation of Christmas builds as you get closer day by day. In the past, I’ve done something different each year for my Advent calendar. Last year, it was an adorable stacked set of poinsettia boxes . In 2015, I gifted myself with a stack of wrapped books and opened one each day. A couple of years ago I read Ann Voskamp’s book The Greatest Gift, and used h

If your refrigerator looks like ours, you’re beyond blessed to have leftovers from yesterday’s Thanksgiving meal. Or plannedovers, as the case may be. Most dishes are even better the second day, so we are now in prime meal planning time.  But let’s not just pile stuff on a plate and call that good. Let’s try some different ways to make leftovers a little more fun. * Make the ultimate Dagwood sandwich with leftover rolls or thick slices of bread. Make sure to include some cranberry sauce because that’s the secret to yummy. * Create a 7-layer casserole to take advantage of more leftovers at a time. Layer them in a 13x9-inch baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through. * Practice portion control by making that 7- layer casserole in individual dishes. Large ramekins or even French onion soup bowls are the perfect size and are oven-safe.  * If you still have tubes of refrigerator rolls or biscuits in the fridge, press one into each cup of a muffin tin and fill

Gracious Heavenly Father,  Thank You for this new day that You have given us. Thank You for salvation and forgiveness and looking beyond our faults to see our needs. Thank you for the gift of prayer, of personal communication from our hearts to Yours. Thank You for the loved ones who are with us today and those who are celebrating far away. Thank You for a lifetime of blessings that we don’t deserve, but You delight is giving us. Thank You for Your endless grace and mercy that You show us every single day. Thank You for the provision that fills our tables today because everything we have comes from You. Thank You for the blessings of being home, wherever that may be today. Thank You for Your presence, guidance and encouragement during this holiday and throughout the year. Thank You for the hedge of protection You have around us, keeping us safe to celebrate this day together and with You. Thank You for allowing us into Your throne room today, Lord, to bring our thanks to You personally

Breakfast - the most important meal of the day! That’s why donuts and muffins are such a sweet way to start your morning. And now that it’s finally cool and breezy when we’re getting up, it’s the perfect time to add a little apple cider to your breakfast routine. That’s where these apple cider muffins come in. They’re made from the same batter I would make baked donuts with in a donut pan, but they’ve been poured into muffin papers instead. They’re a similar texture to donuts, and they have the most lovely crunchy mixture on top. You’ll want to try them this week to make the holidays a little more special. Ingredients: 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp baking powder 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp salt 1 egg 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tbsp butter, melted 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup apple cider 1 Tbsp vanilla Topping: 1/2 cup sugar 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1/2 cup butter, melted 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. 2. Mix dry

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:11 Jesus’ words spoke of His joy, which would turn into our joy. What a beautiful image of the joyful life a Christian can experience when they’re abiding and attached firmly to the Vine. I wish it was that easy. I would love to be able to tell you that it’s super easy to stay plugged in and stay in tune and stay joyful. But the reality is that we’re human and there will be days when we’re not experiencing joy like we once were. If only we could throw on a shirt, put in some earrings and wrap a bracelet around our wrist and ... poof! There’s that joy we’ve been looking for! The truth is, there will always be days when we’re a little low on joy - not the happiness that comes from the circumstances around us going well, but the internal joy that comes from Christ alone. It’s in those times that we search our hearts for any sin, decisions or actions that are separating us from fe

Happy Thanksgiving Week! I pray that the next few days will find you full of thanks, giving and possibly turkey and pie. Probably turkey and pie. Two of the many reasons we have to be grateful this year, even among the uncertain circumstances around us.  My planner pages are about to be filled with prayer lists, shopping lists, cooking lists and baking lists. I wanted to make the most of these last fall pages, so they’re packed with autumn colors, nut-loving squirrels and the signs of the season. A simple way to get more use out of one sticker is to cut it into pieces with the sharpest scissors you have. That’s what I did with the fall banner, using each flag for a hanging down the side. A little creativity will help you turn ordinary things into extraordinary things. From there, I spread a few small images and phrases over the page to save space for plans and appointments - at least it’s a three-day work week! May this week be full of special blessings and loads of love. Happy Thanksg

I don’t know what your Thanksgiving celebration is going to look like this year, but I have a fun idea for you to make your in-person guests smile. This adorable towel turkey only takes a few minutes to make, and the surprise is totally worth it! All you need are one regular-sized towel and one washcloth. And two hands. Start by finding the middle of the long side of the towel and tightly rolling it from top to bottom. Roll all the way to the center, then repeat on the other side. Make sure it’s a super tight roll on both sides. So when you flip it over, it will be fairly flat and smooth. Then fold up the end about 1/3 of the way to make wings and a neck. Now pull his wings apart a little so they’re on either side of his body. One more fold from left to right will make his body stand up. Spread the two halves of his body so there is room for his neck to fit in between. Then bend his beak down, and his body is finished. On to the feathers! Accordion fold the washcloth, making each fold

When the weather is beautiful and full of sunshine, the first thing I want to do is ... clean out the craft room! No, seriously. It’s so much easier - and much more fun - to clean up our sunroom when the sun is pouring in the windows and I can have the door open. This is the Stuff From Trees Headquarters, so a lot of really creative work has to happen in here. Having a great, unobstructed view is essential, as is a way to cover my work table so that beautiful sunshine doesn’t fade the paper and embellishments I’m using. It’s the only, only, only drawback of using this room for crafts. I was able to get my Christmas supplies gathered together and reorganized this week, so the next couple of weeks will be all things holiday in our world. There will be many new winter and Christmas items available in the shop this weekend, so make sure you visit soon to get your Christmas shopping taken care of all in one place. ‘Tis the season! And this picture of Diesel helping is just to make you smile

Simple is good. Berries are good. Dessert is good. Crunchy cobbler topping is good. Pretty dishes are good. Warm yumminess topped with ice cream is good. There is nothing not good about this recipe! Starting with frozen fruit and finishing with a surprising combination of oats and cake mix, this cobbler is good from beginning to end. It’s also a great way to clear out your freezer and pantry a little, giving you a fun excuse to clean and organize. Just an added bonus. Ingredients: 2 12-oz bags frozen berries 1 box yellow or white cake mix 1/2 cup oats 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 Tbsp milk, if needed 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. Pour berries into the bottom of the baking dish. 3. In a separate bowl, combine dry cake mix, oats ad walnuts. Stir to combine. 4. Add butter and stir to make the crumble topping. If it’s too dry and doesn’t stick together well, add milk a tablespoon at a time until it holds toge

If you were to sit down with your journal and a cup of coffee to write out everything that’s weighing heavy on your mind, how long would that list be? With the chaos in the world, stress in our families and the weight of our responsibilities all pressing in at once, you might need more than one notebook. When I recently asked our youth group to make a list like this, they filled an entire blackboard. Even our teens are facing layer upon layer of stress and anxiety. And if it’s that tense for them, add in all the extra concerns in our adult world and it’s no wonder we’re all feeling a little overwhelmed. So what I shared with the youth, I share with you today in the hope that God will use it in a mighty way in your heart and mind.  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13 That’s it. An entire lifetime of conflicts and concerns all brought down to the lowest common denominator. I told the te

Did you ever do something just because you could? Or did you create something just because it makes you smile? That’s my shark layout in my planner this week. Just keep swimming ... just keep swimming!   I started with teal green washi tape to outline the columns like water. The light green letters are from my fall sticker book, proving that it’s totally ok to mix and match craft supplies. (Like we really need a reason, right?) I needed to cover up the flower at the top of the page since there are no roses in the ocean ... that I know of ... so I used a blue rub-on square to make my shark look like he’s zooming through the water! A few strategically placed bubbles and some kelp bring it all together but still leave me room to make notes. I’m working from home for the time being, until the pandemic numbers go down some, so I need to be even more organized than usual. There are so many things happening in the next few days to keep track of, and these sharks are going to help! Ok, they’re

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Proverbs 4:18 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Psalm 27:11 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.  He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.  He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.  Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. Proverbs 2:6-9 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.  Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Psalm 119:34-35

The best gifts at this time of year are the ones that remind us how important it is to remember and give thanks. With just a bag of fall table scatter, a few stickers and some card stock, you can help someone special remember God’s blessings in their lives. Each bag I made contains a glittered leaf, a gold pumpkin, an orange pumpkin and some tiny jewels. On the mini bag, I used a sharpie to assign one thing to remember for each piece inside: a blessing for the leaf, an answered prayer for the gold pumpkin and someone special for the orange pumpkin. Then they can remember those blessings over and over again. This collection supplies is literally all you need for this fun project. I had all of them in my craft room, including the small jewelry bags.  To make the bag toppers, I cut a strip of card stock just wider than the bag and then cut it into squares. Fold it in half and put a piece of double stick tape in each corner. The tape makes it easy to get into the bag and seal it back up wh